Chair



J. A. GARROW CHAIR May 23, 1933.

James-A Gar/"ow Filed 001 15, 1928 Patented May '23, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I a v JA ES A ,oARaow," or s'r. PAUL, mLuNEsoTA, Assrenon TO THE FRITZ-CROSS COMP NY, or s'r; PAUL, MINNESOTA. A CORPORATION or MINNESOT CHAIR My invent-ion relates to chairs and particularly to chairs having back rests with both a vertical and horizontal adjustment, and has for its object to provide locking means whereby the back rest may be simultaneously locked in both its horizontal and a vertical adjustment.. I

Another object of the invention resides in pivotally mounting on the chair an upright carrying the back rest, and in pivoting to saidchair. a brace connected at its upper end to a link, which in turn is. pivoted to the upright to permit of the upright swinging in a back and forth direction;

A still further object of the invention resides ,in pivotally connecting to the upper portion of said upright an arm having attachedwtothe same. the back rest, said arm being adapted to swing in an up and down direction;

Another object of the invention 1 resides.

in pivotally mounting said link .and arm upon a single bolt extending through said upright and in forming inconjunction with said bolt aburr for clamping saidlink. arm

and upright in fixed position-relative to one another to hold the back rest in any of its adjusted positions.

. Another object of the invention resides in constructing the chair with pairs of uprights, braces and arms and in employing a single rod extending between said uprights and simultaneously engaging both of the bolts thereof to clamp both sets of braces andarms relative to their respective uprights.

A feature of the invention resides in interposing between said links, uprights and arms. locking means for holding said parts in adjusted position when the burrs of said bolts have been properly tightened.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and shown in the drawing.

Fig. 1 is'a perspective view of a chair illustrating an embodiment of my invention and showingthe backrest in its most rearward position. I

Fig. '2 is a side elevational. view of the seat proper of the chair shown in Fig. 1 illustrating-the back rest in its most forward (position and slightly lowered, as compared with its position in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional. detail view of the locking device used with the device shown in Fig. 1. T. 5 I

F ig. 4 is a perspective view of some of the parts of the locking device illustrated in Figzf 3.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating. a modification of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary part sectional detail view of the locking device used with the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the locking washers employed with the invention.

In the adjustment of chairs employing adjustable back rests in which the back rest is adjustable in more than one direction, considerabledifliculty has been heretofore en-I countered, due to thefact that when the adjustments are independently made, one adjustment frequently throws the back rest out of adjustment with respect to the other adjustment. At the same time it has been found that the occupant is unable to judge the propriety of one adjustment until the remaining adjustments .have been made and where several locking devices have been utili'zed simultaneous adjustment has been impractical. My invention overcomes these difficulties by providing a device with which the back rest may be positioned where desired through its several adjustments and simulstruction and the cushion 18 may likewise be built to meet with the requirements.

In conjunction with the seat 18 I employ a back rest 19 which is adapted to be raised and lowered, moved forwardly and rearwardly and which is adapted to be pivoted, to vary the angularity thereof. This back rest is mounted as follows: At the rearward portion of the seat support 17 is piovtally connected, by means of rivets 20, two spaced uprights 21 and 22 which in the form shown in Fig. 1 are connected together by means of a tie bar 23 to form a U-shaped frame structure indicated in its entirety at 24. In addition to the uprights 21 and 22 I employ two braces 25 which are pivoted to the seat support 17 intermediate the forward and rearward portions thereof by means of rivets 27 and which braces extend upwardly toward the upper portions of the uprights 21 and 22. The upper ends of said braces have pivoted to them by means of rivets 28, links 29 which in turn are pivoted to the uprights 21 and 22 of frame structure 24 in a manner to be presently described. By means of these braces and links the upper portion of the frame 24 may be moved from a rearward to a forward position and vice versa, the same being shown in a rearward position in Fig. 1 and in a for- 1 ward position in Fig. 2;

The back rest 19 has attached to the back 30 thereof two brackets 31 which have pivoted to them by means of rivets 33 a pair of arms 34. Bolts 36 pass through the respective links 29, uprights 21 and 22 and arms 34 and serve to pivotally connect said parts for joint or independent swinging of the same and the frame structure relative to one another. Burrs 37 threaded upon the ends of the bolts 36 serve to clamp the various. parts and to hold the same in adjusted position.

To positively lock arms 34 and the braces 25- from movement relative to the frame 24, I employ locking devices for each of the uprights 21 and 22 of which the one applied to upright 22 is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. The numeral 38 designates the opening in the link 29 through which bolt 36 extends, which is squared to receive a square shoulder 39 formed on said bolt adjacent the head thereof. The upright 22 and the arm 34 are formed with corresponding holes 40 and 41, which receive the circular portion of the shank of said bolt and serve to pivotally hold the parts mounted relative to one another. The upright 22 is further provided with a second hole 42 which is adapted to receive a steel ball 44 of the diameter slightly greater than the thickness of the said upright. This ball is adapted to simultaneously engage a series of depressions 45 formed on the link 29 and a similar series of depressions 46 formed on the arm 34. When the burr 37 on bolt 26 is tightened and the ball 44 lodged in any of the corresponding depressions 45 and 46, the link 39, arm .34 and upright 22 are held immovable with respect to one another. When it is desired to readjust the chair the burr 37 is unloosened and the curvature of the ball 44 causes the parts to become readily disengaged from one another so that readjustment of the parts may be made. The locking device for upright 21 is exactly the same as for upright 22. If desired the ball 44 may be made to be snugly received within ly thereto in the direction in which it is desired to adjust the back rest. As the frame 24 swings the links 34 shift in position so as to compensate for the readjustment of the frame. At the same time or independently, if desired, the arms, 34 may be adjusted to properly position the back rest vertically.

When the ball 44 has become lodged in the proper depressions for maintaining the desired adjustment, the burrs 37 may be tightened to hold the parts in locked position.

In the modification of the invention shown in Fig; 5 the burrs 37 have been dispensed with and a single rod 47 substituted in place thereofv In this case a pair of right and left hand bolts and 51 are employed and the rod 47 is threaded at its two ends as indicated at 48 and 49 in Fig. 6, to simultaneously screw upon the ends of the said bolts and to rigidly clamp the structure in place. To compensate for inequality in the tightening effect ofthe rod 47 upon the two bolts 50 and 51, the

bolt 50 instead of being formed with a head similar to the bolt 51 may be threaded at its outer end, as designated at 52, to receive a nut 53 and look not 54. In the use of the device, the rod 47 is tightened until the parts clamped by the bolt 51 are rigidly held in place. The nuts 53 and 54 are then tightened until the structure clamped by bolt 50 is similarly held in place. By thereafter manipulating rod 47 the same pressure will be exerted upon both of the adjusting devices carried by the uprights 21 and 22. If desired, the same effect can be procured by the use of two ordinary bolts and by the disposition of thin washers between the head of one of the bolts to compensate for any difference in the thread of the two bolts or the two ends of the rod 47.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6, I have illustrated a different type of locking device. This type of locking device includes a pair of washers 55 which are corrugated or serrated along their edges, indicated at 56, in Fig. 7. These washers are lotformed with central. openings 57 to receive the shanks of the bolts and 51 and are further constructed with spaced outwardly extending ears 58 and 59. When the washers 55 are installed, two such washers are employed between each conection, the said washers being placed back to back with the ears 5S and 59 straddling the respective upright link or the arm with which the same is associated. hen the rod 47 is loosened, the corrugations of the washers permit the various parts to readily swing in the desired manner, and when the rod 47 is tightened the said corrugations acting in conjunction with the cars 58 and 59 hold the parts firmly locked in position. If desired, this type of locking device may equally as well be utilized with the other form of the invention in place of the ball 44 and the depressions 45 and 46.

My invention is highly meritorious in that it provides a simple and effective device whereby the back rest may be simultaneously adjusted in its several adjustments and quickly and easily locked in place. There are no parts which need to be entirely disengaged, thereby preventing the losing of any of the parts of the chair and preventing misapplication or attachment of the same. The adjustment can be quickly and positively made and when the chair has been once-adjusted, the back rest is rigidly and positively held in position. The chair can be constructedat an economic cost and can be readily collapsed in a flat state for shipping. The braces remain at the same location with respect to the seat, thereby leaving the forward portion of the seat unobstructed. A

greater range of adjustment can also be had with my improved chair.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A chair comprising a seat, a frame connected to said seat, the upper portion of said frame having a back and forth movement, a brace connected to said seat, a member connecting said brace to said frame, a back rest, a member connected to said frame and supporting said back rest, said back rest having an up and down movement, and means common to both said members for holding the same in adjusted position relative to said frame.

2. A chair comprising a seat, a frame connected to said seat, the upper portion of said frame having a back and forth movement,a brace connected to said seat, a member connecting said brace to said frame, a back rest, a member connected to said frame and supporting said back rest, said back rest having an up and down movement, both of said frame, a .linkpivoted .to the upper end i of said brace and to said frame, said link being adapted to oscillateabout its pivot on said frame topermit of ,the baokand forth movement of {said frame, means ,for looking said frame from movement, and a backrest carried by said frame; 4

. 4. A chair comprising aseat, a frame .piv-v oted to saidiseat, a brace pivoted to said seat and extending toward the upper portion of said frame, a link pivotedto the upper end of said brace and to said frame, said link'being adapted toyoscillate about its pivot on said frame to permit ofcthe back and forth movement .of. said frame, anarm pivoted.tj0 said frame at the point of pivot, of said link thereto, and a bac rest carried by said arm. .5. A chair comprising aseat, a frame in eluding an upright pivoted to said seat, .a brace pivoted to said seat and extending upwardlytoward the upper portionqof said upright, a link'pivoted to the upper end of said brace and disposed on one side of said upright, a back rest, an arm connected to said back rest, said arm being, disposed on the opposite side of said upright, and a boltextending jointly through saidlink, upright and arm forlocking the same from relative movement.

Q6. A chair comprising va seat, aframe including. an upright pivoted to said seat, a

brace pivoted tosaid seat and extending upwardly toward ,the upper portion of said upright, alinkpivoted to the upper end of said brace and disposedon one side of. said upright, a back -rest,van arm connected to saidback rest, said Iarm being disposed on the opposite side of said upright, .a. bolt extending jointly through said link, upright and armfor locking the same from relative movement, a plurality ;of indentations formed on said link and arm concentrically disposed with 1 reference to theeaxis of said bolt,-and a member extending through said upright for simultaneously engaging said in dentations for holdingsaid link and arm in' adjustedposition. I 1

v 7. A'zchair. comprising a seat,-a frame including an upright pivoted to said'seat, a brace pivoted to said seat .and extending upwardly toward theupper portion of said upright, a link pivoted to the upper end of said brace and disposedon one side of said upright, a back rest, an arm connected to said back rest, said arm being disposed on the opposite side of said upright, a bolt extending jointly through said link, upright and arm for lochng the same from relative movement v a plurality of indentations formed on said link and arm concentrically disposed with reference totthe axis of said bolt, an aperture extending through said upright, a ball disposed between said aperture and of a diameter greater than the thickness of said upright adapted to simultaneously engage the apertures in both said link and arm for holding the same in adjusted position.

8. A chair comprising a seat, a pair of spaced uprights pivoted to said seat, braces disposed between said uprights and seat, means connecting said braces to said seat, links connecting said braces and uprights, a back-rest, arms disposed between said back rest and uprights, means connecting the arms to the back rest bolts extending through said links, arms and uprights pivotally connecting the same, and a single member threaded on said bolts and adapted when rotated in one direction to simultaneously lock all of said links, uprights and arms from movement.

9. A chair comprising a seat, a pair of spaced uprights pivoted to said seat, braces disposed between said uprights and seat means connecting said braces to said seat, links connecting said braces and uprightsya back rest, arms disposed between said back rest and uprights means connecting the arms to the back rest, means for pivotally connecting said links, arms and uprights together, and a single threaded member engaging said pivoting means adapted when rotated in one direction to simultaneously lock all of said links, uprights and arms.

10. A chair comprising a seat, a frame pivoted to said seat, a brace pivoted to said seat and adjustably connected to said frame, a back rest, an arm for supporting said back rest, means for attaching said arm to the back rest, means for adjustably connecting said brace to said frame, and means common to both said arm and frame connecting means, for locking the same in adjusted position relative to said frame. I

11. A chair comprising a seat, an upright pivoted to said seat,-a brace pivoted to said seat and extending upwardly toward the upper portion of said upright, a member connected to said brace and having a part movable relative to said upright, a backrest, a support therefor connected thereto and having a part movable relative to said upright and a single threaded member connecting said movable parts and upright for locking said support, brace and upright from relative movement. I

I In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signatureto this specification.

JAMES A. GARROW. 

